RIT/NTID Faculty Present at National Conference

Speakers Address Access to HS Instruction and Transitioning to College

At a recent national conference on technical career preparation, three experts from Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf discussed strategies to include students with hearing loss more effectively in schools and programs and to improve access services for them.

The presentation, “Deaf Students ARE in Your Schools and Programs: Maintaining Their Career Pathways,” was delivered at the National Tech Prep Network conference on Nov. 3 in Dallas by Vincent A. Daniele, professor and chairperson, Department of Science and Mathematics; Susan B. Foster, professor, Department of Research and Teacher Education; and Ronald J. Till, associate professor and chairperson, Department of Industrial Technologies.

They explained that deaf and hard-of-hearing students are increasingly attending schools and classes with hearing peers. However, their use of assistive listening devices and interpreters cannot guarantee full access to instruction; their needs in the classroom must be better understood to ensure their success.

Also presenting at the conference were NTID faculty members Donna Lange and Myra Pelz, who are directing Project Fast Forward: Pathway to an IT Education for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students. They explained RIT’s partnership with U.S. high schools to transition students to college by offering IT-related dual-credit courses and professional development for teachers and guidance counselors.

NTPN’s members across the United States include educators and employers involved in advancing technical preparation and related education reform initiatives.

RIT/NTID has become an international model for educating and preparing deaf students for technology-related careers. NTID at RIT is the only college in the world that offers deaf and hard-of-hearing students a variety of degrees in a wide range of technical and business fields, such as Computer Aided Drafting Technology, Computer Integrated Machining Technology, Business Technology, Digital Imaging and Publishing Technology, and Laboratory Science Technology.

Rochester Institute of Technology is internationally recognized as a leader in computing, engineering, imaging technology, fine and applied arts, and for providing unparalleled support services for students with hearing loss. RIT is home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, where more than 1,100 students with hearing loss from around the world study, live, and socialize with 14,400 hearing students on RIT’s Rochester, N.Y., campus. U.S. News and World Report has consistently ranked RIT among the nation’s leading comprehensive universities.